Blog

Whether you're writing a preservation plan, reviewing a conservation treatment proposal, or attending a training workshop, you’ve probably encountered unfamiliar or highly specialized terminology. That’s why we’re excited to share a new resource from the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts (CCAHA): a free, searchable Preservation Glossary featuring nearly 400 simplified, image-rich terms related to collections care, conservation, and preservation. 

Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the glossary was designed to…

Welcome to Behind the Lens, where we invite you to peer inside the inner workings of DHPSNY Planning & Assessment services to gain a deeper understanding of the assessment process and outcomes. You’ll also hear first-hand accounts from participating sites, offering their personal experiences and perspectives. Explore more of the series in our last post, which highlighted Foundational Planning Assistance, a great first step in setting a framework for successful collections care.

In this…

Applications for DHPSNY Planning & Assessment Services are open, with the next submission deadline on Friday, July 11, 2025. Offered free of cost to collecting organizations in New York State, these services connect accepted sites with our specialists to evaluate preservation practices, provide customized recommendations, and develop actionable plans tailored to each organization’s specific needs. Final reports can be utilized to obtain funding, increase the accessibility and use of your collections, and more. 

We are accepting applications for…

DHPSNY Dialogue | Collections for the Future of New York
Getting Started with Participatory and Community Archiving (May 8) 

By co-facilitator Marie Lascu, Dialogue Community Archiving Workshop (CAW) Collective Member

The guiding question of the 2025 DHPSNY Dialogue series is “What can we as practitioners in the field - both paid and volunteer - do to build and steward collections for the communities of tomorrow?” In sharing an overview of our projects centered around participatory and community archiving -…

DHPSNY is pleased to announce that our independent field reviewers have selected 11 organizations to receive free Planning & Assessment Services. We commend the following organizations for their dedication to enhancing their preservation programs and practices and look forward to beginning site visits in the coming weeks. 

Read the full press release.

Archival Needs Assessments

Ballston Spa Public Library (…

Join archivists, local historians, records managers, and archives enthusiasts for the 2025 New York Archives Conference, taking place on Friday, June 13 — live online! This year’s program features a full day of sessions on timely topics, including “Integrating Audiovisual Collections into Digital Archives from the Ground Up” and “Participatory Archive Ethics Development.”

NYAC Watch Parties Are Back!

 Looking to connect with colleagues in person? This year, nine institutions across New York…

While conventional wisdom holds that archivists should refrain from taking subjective stances in their work, there have been increasing calls in the field to recognize that the historical record from which archives are drawn is far from neutral. How can we expect archivists to remain objective when engaging with politically fraught materials that are potentially held within institutions founded on principles that do not reflect current societal values? In our most recent webinar, CCAHA Director of Preservation Services, Dyani Feige, discussed the importance of recognizing that our own…

Preservation Week, sponsored by the American Library Association and celebrated during the last week of April, is an annual recognition of the importance of preserving our cultural heritage. This year’s theme, Preserve the Past, Shape the Future: Inspiring the Next Generation of Preservation Professionals, is a call to action for emerging professionals to carry the torch of preservation forward. Whether you’re in school or have recently graduated, charting your career path can feel daunting. Here are five essential career tips to help you navigate the preservation field and…

Disasters—whether caused by storms, burst pipes, or human error—can wreak havoc on cultural collections in an instant. The key to minimizing loss isn’t just how fast you respond, but how well you’re prepared. That’s the core message of DHPSNY’s Salvage Workshops. Designed for libraries, archives, historical societies, museums, and any stewards of cultural heritage collections, this hands-on, scenario-based training gives professionals and volunteers the tools they need to respond…

Maintaining a clean and safe environment for archival collections is essential for preservation. However, not all cleaning methods are equally suitable for every situation. A common question is determining when to dust versus when to vacuum. This blog post explores the differences between these methods, their appropriate applications, and how to make informed decisions to protect and preserve valuable artifacts. 
 

Why Is Dust Harmful to Archival Collections? 

Dust is more than just an aesthetic issue; it poses real risks to the preservation of archival…